| The Folkoric and Aristic Troupe of DhalaristanBrina Stinehelfer is was on tour for two months with collaborators Meyrick Kaminski, Moss Beynon Juckes, Syrie Payne, and Nikolaus Schneider on her collaborative project, The Folklore & Artistic Troupe of Dhalaristan, made possible with generous funding from the European Cultural Foundation. The project was an exploration of culture and authenticity, and cultural identity, questioning ways of defining and labeling what we see as culture in an ever evolving and homogenizing (?) world. The Folklore and Artistic Troupe of Dhalaristan is a small folkloric troupe, dedicated to the reinvestigation of the rituals and traditions of the Dhalarii people, who trace their contested origins to the north Caucasus. The Dhalar have long existed on a cultural fault-line between East and West. Since being scattered to the six winds in the Tsarist era, much of their traditional culture has been lost. In questioning the ephemeral nature of cultural authenticity and the political pressures that give it form, the troupe will allow insights into our own culture as viewers. Where is home and the place of origin in an ever more fragmented world? The Troupe gathered a diverse group of participants to assist in the creation of folklore/traditions/customs that are the basis of our culture. This includes ritual, song, dance, artefacts, cuisine, costume, social traditions, and myth – anything that can define culture. The interview process, and collaboration with the Troupe, is the only precondition for membership. Anyone can become Dhalarii. Dhalaristan is a state that we create through collaboration. The embassy wing of the Troupe toured their unique culture across Europe from May to July 2010. May 1-9 Vienna We invited people from local communities to collaborate with us, to further enrich the cultural experience, and meaning, of what it is to be Dhalarii – an identity that transcends political, racial, and ethnic boundaries. As the people we collaborate changes, so does the culture, and therefore the meaning, of Dhalaristan – an identity that reflects the places we call home and the people we call Dhalarii. It is our hope that through exchange and interaction, we may better understand our culture, the cultures of those around us, and explore new definitions of culture and our place of origin in an ever more fragmented world.
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